This invention relates to pyrazolopyridines and pyrrolopyridines, pharmaceutical compositions containing them, and methods of administering them to subjects in need of their corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) antagonist activity.
CRF antagonists are mentioned in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,605,642 and 5,063,245 referring to peptides and pyrazolinones, respectively. The importance of CRF antagonists is referred to in the literature, e.g., as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,245, which is incorporated herein by reference. A recent outline of the different activities possessed by CRF antagonists is found in M. J. Owens et al., Pharm. Rev., Vol. 43, pages 425 to 473 (1991), also incorporated herein by reference. Based on the research described in these and other references, CRF antagonists are believed to be effective in the treatment of a wide range of stress-related illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, headache, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory diseases, immune suppression, Alzheimer's disease, gastrointestinal diseases, anorexia nervosa, hemorrhagic stress, drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, drug addiction and infertility.